While there's no single intended purpose researchers have in mind for quadruped robots, government agencies are already expressing interest - earlier this year, Massachusetts police began working with "Spot," a robot dog designed by Boston Dynamics.

Take a look at how Tokyo Metropolitan University's robot climbs ladders, bringing robots one rung closer to world domination:

The robot weighs in at around 7kg, and is equipped with 3D cameras on its head and touch and force sensors on its claws.

Tokyo Metropolitan University

The robot has 23 degrees of freedom — specific aspects of its parts can move: five degrees of freedom in each leg, two for the dual laser rangefinder sensors, and one for the head.

Tokyo Metropolitan University

The robot uses a neural network to automatically teach itself to balance as it climbs the ladder.

Tokyo Metropolitan University

Once at the top of the ladder, the robot uses its rear claws to grip the top rung and shift its weight forward.

Tokyo Metropolitan University

The robot was specifically programmed to climb the ladder used in the demonstration video, but researchers plan to teach it to climb a ladder of any dimensions.

Tokyo Metropolitan University

While living quadruped animals can climb ladders at an angle, they struggle with vertical ladders, according to IEE Spectrum — but this robot is capable of tackling them.